WASHINGTON — A small number of North Korean troops are now in Russia’s Kursk region with another roughly 2,000 troops in eastern Russia moving closer to the Ukraine border, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
“We remain concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.
Ryder could not say whether North Korean troops are already fighting in Ukraine. But CNN reported a small number of North Korean troops are inside Ukraine and officials expect that number to grow as North Koreans complete training and move toward the front lines of a war that has raged since the Russians invaded in February 2022.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Friday that North Korean troops would be on the battlefield within days.
North Korea has sent roughly 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia, according to the Pentagon, and the number of troops could increase.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week was the first U.S. official to confirm North Korea has sent troops to Russia. He will meet Wednesday at the Pentagon with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin on Thursday will co-host Republic of Korea Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and Kim.
South Korean intelligence officials first publicized reports that the Russian navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special warfare troops to Russia this month.
